3.22.2017

Books about Sculpture: Topping the Dome

The "Freedom" statue by Thomas Crawford (1814 - 1857) was installed in 1863 high atop the U.S. Capitol Building. The form dons a Roman helmut and an eagle head with feathers, but this was not the artist's original vision.

Richard Novak's "Topping the Dome" takes a closer look a this sky-scraping public art. Through engaging storytelling, Novak illuminates pre-Civil War history, personalities, and conflicts. The history is important, surprising, uplifting. For the first time, the reader will actually see and understand the beautiful details of this distant but iconic American sculpture.

Topping the Dome

Another major monument by Crawford is the Washington Monument in Richomond Virginia.

Washington Monument, Richmond, Virginia (1869)

Thomas Crawford (1813 - 1857)

Crawford was the son of Irish immigrants and was probably born in New York City.